Stepping out of the scripted instructions is putting the humble PMHD of Ethiopia in hot seat. In his recent trip to Doha, PMHD signaled that he would even travel to Asmara to talk to PIA of Eritrea if Eritrea is willing to negotiate. PMHD was criticized by TPLF kingmakers that he should have confined his comments to the scripted one i.e., Eritrea has to accept the five point plan put in place by his predecessor PMMZ.
Despite Bereket Simon’s public rhetoric against PIA regime, he would like PMHD to extend olive tree to Eritrea.
Bereket’s opinion on solving the Ethio-Eritrean disputed is also supported by the newly appointed FM Dr. Tedros Adhanom. However, hardcore TPLFites like Seyum Mesfin and Abay Tsehaye would like Ethiopia to pursue a policy that goes beyond containing the PIA regime, i.e., they would like to see regime change in Eritrea while Breket and Tedros Adhanom advocate that EPRDF has enough internal problems and adding the Eritrean issue into the mix would endanger the very existence of the front.
US administration is slowly distancing itself from TPLF and would like PMHD to assume more authority, as Eliase Kifle, Publisher of Ethiopian Review, wrote in his recent note that PMHD is sharing his day to day frustration in running the nation with his close confidants.
He also has been telling his frustration to US and UK ambassadors that he has been suffocated by the hardcore TPLF veteran leaders and he admitted that the opposition’s assertion that he is nothing more than figurehead in the government is not far from truth.
Those signs of frustrations by PMHD will be more likely to get worse and lead to more friction. And, such frictions will more likely push TPLF even resort to more authoritarian style of governance.



